FIRST ON FOX: Europe must reinstate harsh United Nations sanctions on Iran, U.S. lawmakers insisted in a new resolution that accused Tehran of repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration.  

The bipartisan legislation calls on the U.K., France and Germany to invoke "snapback" sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council immediately – and follow the U.S.’s lead under President Donald Trump’s "maximum pressure" executive order to isolate Iran over its nuclear activity. 

"Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and their actions have led to the murder of American servicemembers," said Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., the number two Republican on Senate Foreign Relations Committee and lead sponsor of the bill, which has 11 cosponsors in the Senate. 

"Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon would threaten our security and the security of our allies. Snapback sanctions are key to ensuring that President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign is successful." 

IRAN'S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES

Reps. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., issued companion legislation in the House. 

Under the 2015 Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran evaded U.N., U.S. and E.U. sanctions in exchange for promises not to pursue a nuclear weapon. But Iran eventually cut off independent inspectors' access to its sites and resumed nuclear activities. 

A "snapback" provision of the agreement said that any of the nations privy to the deal – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, U.S. or Germany – could demand the export controls, travel bans and asset freezes be reimposed. 

But the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal entirely under President Donald Trump’s first administration and imposed its own "maximum pressure" sanctions regime. The Biden administration subsequently issued sanctions waivers and toyed with the idea of returning to a nuclear deal with Iran, but ultimately those efforts faltered.

Tenney urged the European nations to invoke the snapback sanctions before the deal expires in October 2025. 

"Invoking snapback sanctions will restore all the UN sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration’s failed Iran nuclear deal," she said. 

Iran is "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon, according to U.N. nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi. Western states have said there is no civilian use for 60% uranium. 

TRUMP REINSTATES ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRAN

Britain, France and Germany told the U.N. Security Council in December they were ready to trigger the snapback of all international sanctions on Iran if necessary. 

Trump himself said he was "torn" over a recent executive order that triggered harsh sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, adding that he was "unhappy to do it."

"Hopefully, we're not going to have to use it very much," Trump told reporters.

But he reiterated, "We're not going to let them get a nuclear weapon."

Trump suggested first trying a "verified nuclear peace agreement" over military escalation. "I would much rather do a deal that’s not gonna hurt them," the president told Fox News on Monday, adding that "I’d love to make a deal with them without bombing them."

Iran viewed the president’s remarks as a threat and took negotiations off the table. 

​​"No problem will be solved by negotiating with America," said Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khameni, citing past "experience." 

He called for the country to further develop its military capabilities. 

"We cannot be satisfied," Khamenei said. "Say that we previously set a limit for the accuracy of our missiles, but we now feel this limit is no longer enough. We have to go forward."

"Today, our defensive power is well known, our enemies are afraid of this. This is very important for our country," he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Europeans this week that "realities" prevent the U.S. from being its security guarantor, and to expect a drawdown of U.S. forces in the region. 

"We are focusing on security of our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific," Hegseth told a meeting of a Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Wednesday. 

"The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific. Recognizing the reality of scarcity and making the resourcing trade-offs to ensure deterrence does not fail. Deterrence cannot fail."

This was Hegseth’s first trip to the headquarters of the NATO alliance. 

HEGSETH BANS FUTURE TRANS SOLDIERS, MAKES SWEEPING CHANGES FOR CURRENT ONES

The U.S. defense secretary called on Europe to "take ownership of conventional security on the continent."

"European allies must lead from the front," he went on. "Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximize our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific, respectively."

Hegseth said on Tuesday the U.S. has no active plans to draw down forces in Europe but remains committed to analyzing U.S. troop postures across the globe. Speaking at U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, he said the U.S. is committed to having a presence in Europe while emphasizing the continent should not rely on that presence for security. 

UKRAINE REGAINING PRE-2014 BORDERS IS ‘UNREALISTIC OBJECTIVE,’ HEGSETH SAYS IN FIRST NATO VISIT

"The European continent deserves to be free from any aggression, but it ought be those in the neighborhood investing the most in that defense," he said. "That’s common sense. You defend your neighborhood, and the Americans will come alongside you in helping in that defense."

Roughly 100,000 U.S. troops are deployed across Europe, about a third of which are in Germany, according to Defense Department figures. Some 375,000 U.S. forces are assigned to the Indo-Pacific Command. 

During his first term, President Donald Trump began pulling thousands of troops out of Europe. 

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has begun to bolster its troop presence on the southern border. Some 1,500 more U.S. troops deployed to the southern border last week, bringing the total up to 3,600. 

HEGSETH SAYS DOGE WELCOME AT PENTAGON AS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REVIEWS MILITARY POSTURE GLOBALLY

Hegseth also said that any European peacekeeping forces sent to help Ukraine win the war against Russia must not be from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and would not be protected under Article 5, a provision that states an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all. 

The defense secretary said the U.S. does not believe allowing Ukraine into NATO is a "realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."

Hegseth also called on NATO countries to step up after Trump recently called on them to boost defense spending to 5%. 

"The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency."

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy suggested that security guarantees for Ukraine without the U.S. are "not real security guarantees." 

"There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no," he told The Guardian. "Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told allies at NATO headquarters Wednesday that "returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective," as President Donald Trump is working to bring an end to the war. 

Hegseth, speaking to the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium, also said "stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on the security of Europe" because the U.S. is focusing on "securing our own borders" and "deterring war with China in the Pacific." 

"President Trump has been clear with the American people -- and with many of your leaders -- that stopping the fighting and reaching an enduring peace is a top priority," Hegseth said about Ukraine, noting that the war is approaching its third anniversary. 

"He intends to end this war by diplomacy and bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the table.  And the U.S. Department of Defense will help achieve this goal," Hegseth continued. "We want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering." 

JD VANCE, TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS TRUMP TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

In early 2014, Russia first invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula before annexing the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin then launched a larger military conflict with Ukraine in 2022, which remains ongoing. 

"A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again," Hegseth said Wednesday. "The United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. Instead, any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops."

"If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission and not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact," he continued. "To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine." 

ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP 

Trump, during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier on "Special Report," said "tremendous progress" has been made over the last week when it comes to a Ukraine-Russia peace deal. 

"They have tremendously valuable land in terms of rare earth, in terms of oil and gas, in terms of other things. I want to have our money secured because we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars," Trump said about Ukraine. "And, you know, they may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday."

"I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare earth. And they've essentially agreed to do that. So at least we don't feel stupid. Otherwise, we're stupid," Trump added. "I said to them, we have to, we have to get something. We can't continue to pay this money, you know." 

In an interview this week with The Guardian, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no" and that "Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees."

Hegseth also said he is in Brussels today to "directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States from being primarily focused on the security of Europe."  

"The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must -- and we are -- focusing on securing our own borders," he said. "We also face a peer competitor in China with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific."  

"The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific, recognizing the reality of scarcity, and making the resourcing tradeoffs to ensure deterrence does not fail," Hegseth added. "As the United States shifts its attention to these threats, European allies must lead from the front." 

An American woman is suing the Tate brothers, influencers Andrew and Tristan, for allegedly luring her to Romania for sex work and then suing her for defamation after she cooperated with police there who charged the brothers of trafficking women and girls.

After the brothers sued Jane Doe for alleged libel and slander in 2023, her lawyers filed a countersuit in Florida Monday that accuses the brothers of, among other things, witness intimidation, "lawfare," defamation and human trafficking.

The 183-page filing describes them as "self-confessed webcam pimps and pornographers who made their first million dollars from lying and deceiving women."

ROMANIAN AUTHORITIES TOW VECHIELS FROM ANDREW TATE'S HOME AFTER NEW HUMAN TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONS

"Jane Doe did the right thing by telling the truth of what she saw and experienced while she was in Romania to Romanian authorities," her lawyer, Dani Pinter, said in a statement. "And for that, Andrew and Tristan Tate have worked to ruin her life by suing her and her parents – an abuse of the legal system and blatant witness intimidation."

Andrew Tate, 38, is a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist who, along with his 37-year-old brother, is an internet personality. The lawsuit disputes their self-characterizations as businessmen. 

"To disrupt the Romanian prosecution, and in a clear case of witness intimidation, THE TATE BROTHERS have sued JANE DOE, an American citizen, who was lured from Florida to Romania by TRISTAN TATE under the pretense of a romantic relationship," the lawsuit alleges. "THE TATE BROTHERS’ lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $5,000,000, damages that allegedly exist merely because JANE DOE expressed her very real fears and concerns for her safety to her family and friends in private text messages and, because she cooperated with Romanian law enforcement after they raided THE TATE BROTHERS’ compound."

POLICE RAID ANDREW TATE'S HOME IN ROMANIA AS NEW ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING MINORS SURFACE

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Read the lawsuit

In the brothers' 2023 lawsuit, they accused Doe of fabricating evidence against them. It also names her parents and two friends as defendants for their role in a phone call alerting U.S. embassy officials in Romania to Doe's alleged trafficking.

"The Tate brothers’ lawsuit against Doe is a grave abuse of process brought—not for any legitimate purpose—but instead, to bully and harass Doe into recanting her testimony," Pinter said. "Doe was left with no choice but to countersue, and deserves every measure of justice."

Romanian police arrested the Tate brothers in 2022 and seized more than a dozen luxury cars along with nearly $4 million in other items.

They were arrested again alongside four others in August 2024 in connection with a criminal human trafficking ring investigation. There is another criminal investigation ongoing in the United Kingdom, where the brothers are expected to be extradited after their case plays out in Romania.

They have denied the allegations against them and call Doe a false accuser.

Doe's attorneys said the counterclaim is the first U.S. lawsuit against the brothers. They are seeking an unspecified sum in damages and attorney fees, a court order barring the Tate brothers from contacting or defaming their client and any other relief the court finds proper.

FIRST ON FOX: Expansionist rhetoric has been a major concern in NATO for several years amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but according to Greece’s top defense official, the security alliance should take seriously similar threats from within its own coalition, in particular from Turkey.

A decades-old feud over the island nation of Cyprus between Greece and Turkey, both of which have been members of NATO since 1952, has plagued the alliance for over half a century and spill-over conflicts pushed the two countries nearly to the brink of war in the 1990s. 

Though relations between Greece and Turkey have become less outwardly hostile in recent years, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s pursuit of regional natural resources coupled with his controversial geopolitical actions in the Middle East and Aegean Sea have long drawn criticism that he is looking to "recreate" the Ottoman Empire.

TURKEY AND GREECE LEADERS TO MEET, PUT FRIENDSHIP INITIATIVE TO THE TEST AMID GAZA AND UKRAINE WARS

"There's some people in Turkey that go back to the Ottoman times and believe that they could recreate the Ottoman Empire, including parts of Greece, parts of Syria, parts of Iraq, parts of Iran, half of the Caucasus, etc.," Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said during an interview with Fox News Digital. 

"I hope that this is daydream, but it creates a lot of problems in the relations with Greece, a lot of problems within NATO."

Erdoğan, who has been president of Turkey since 2014, has long been criticized for his aggressive approach in dealing with regional nations like Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Israel, but also his oppressive practices at home that have targeted non-Sunni communities, including Shiites and Christians, journalists, women and Kurds. It's an issue that has not only blocked Turkey from joining the European Union, but has increasingly held geopolitical ramifications for the U.S. 

The U.S.’s chief ally in the fight against ISIS in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has found itself in Ankara’s crosshairs as it views the Kurdish-affiliated force as being akin to the terrorist network, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). 

Turkey has routinely targeted the group and prompted international concern over how the SDF will be able to continue to effectively fight ISIS should the Trump administration withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

"ISIS, let us be frank and honest, is down but not out," Dendias said. "The ideology behind ISIS, the ideology behind the Muslim Brotherhood is there, is alive and kicking. 

"And I have to say, the worst thing that you can do in life is forget your allies, forget the people who fought by your side in your hour of need, and turn against them or forget about them," the defense minister continued. "I'm speaking about the Kurds fighting against ISIS for years. They should not be forgotten by the West."

TRUMP SAYS TURKEY ‘DID AN UNFRIENDLY TAKEOVER’ IN SYRIA AS US-BROKERED CEASE-FIRE APPEARS TO FAIL

The fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime has renewed concerns over regional stability, and the close dynamic between Trump and Erdoğan has raised more questions about how the Turkish president will pursue his regional ambitions. 

Dendias argued that the close relationship allegedly shared between the two world leaders will not necessarily embolden Erdoğan and could uniquely position Trump to "whisper" in the ear of the Turkish leader and remind him that "international law, international [rules] of the sea, is a way of life in this modern world."

"I assume that it will not be good at all for NATO and would not be good at all for the United States of America to encourage Turkey to create a huge problem in the eastern front of NATO, taking also into account what's happening in the Middle East and what's happening between Russia and Ukraine," the defense minster added. 

TURKISH LEADER CLAIMS US BASES IN GREECE POSE DIRECT 'THREAT' AMID SPAT WITH ATHENS OVER NATO EXPANSION

Earlier this month, Turkey relaunched military exercises in the Black, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas known as "Blue Homeland," which Greece has long viewed as a show of force and prompted long-held maritime disputes to resurface. 

"This [is a] new Turkish neo-imperialist, neo-Ottoman approach," Dendias said. "It started appearing somewhere in the first decade of the 21st century … which, in essence, claims that half of the Greek islands in the Aegean belong to Turkey. 

"And sometimes they even go further. They claim that Crete, a huge island with very important NATO presence and an American base in Souda – again, should belong to Turkey." 

The defense minster said Greece’s tense relations with Turkey have made its defensive posture in NATO unique because it has forced Athens to be on top of its defense spending, an issue that has once again become a top matter of discussion in the NATO alliance due to Trump’s push to have all nations meet a 5% GDP spending limit, up from 2%. 

The latest NATO spending figures released in June 2024 show Greece was the fifth-highest spender on defense in the alliance, spending more than 3% of its GPD, while Turkey came in 18th and spent just over 2% of its GDP on defense.  

Dendias said European nations need to collectively agree on how they view security threat levels and the importance of defense spending.

"Regardless of President Trump's position on 5%, it's an internal issue and needs to be resolved," Dendias added.

"The biggest threat is countries that do not abide by international law and do not abide by international law of the sea. Countries that believe that borders [are] something that you can disregard, that treaties and international treaties should work only if it's to your advantage," Dendias said. "That is the biggest threat to the whole world, not just Greece."

Additional questions to Dendias about President Trump’s recent comments on his refusal to rule out military intervention in acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal were not answered. 

The Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions but instead pointed to a statement issued by the Turkish Minister of National Defense, Yaşar Güler, who ahead of the "Blue Homeland" exercises said, "Our country, located at the very heart of a region surrounded by conflicts and disputes, consistently emphasizes its commitment to international law and peace in preventing tensions and resolving crises.

"We approach the development of our relations with our neighbor Greece within this framework and take significant steps toward resolving problems," he added. "The efforts to portray Turkey's determination to protect its rights and interests in the ‘Blue Homeland’ as ‘historical expansionism and aggression’ are nothing more than a futile attempt to disregard the rights granted to Turkey by international law. 

"However, while striving for a peaceful solution, we strongly emphasize that we will never compromise our national rights and interests," Güler said earlier this month.

The top European Union military official, Robert Brieger, said it would make sense to station troops from EU countries in Greenland, according to an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag published on Saturday, as U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory.

"In my view, it would make perfect sense not only to station U.S. forces in Greenland, as has been the case to date, but also to consider stationing EU soldiers there in the future," the chairman of the European Union Military Committee said.

Ultimately, such a step would require a political decision, the Austrian-born general said. The military committee is the highest military office of the European Council, but it serves as a consultative body since the bloc has no dedicated army.

U.S.-led NATO is the main military alliance for the EU.

DANISH LAWMAKER ADDRESSING EU TELLS TRUMP TO ‘F--- OFF’ OVER GREENLAND BID

Although Greenland is not part of the EU as an overseas territory of Denmark, Europeans, as well as the U.S. have interests in Greenland, the general added, citing its raw materials and strategic location.

"However, with increasing ice melt as a result of climate change, this also creates a certain potential for tension with Russia and possibly China," he said.

Trump has expressed an interest in making Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, part of the United States. He has not ruled out using military or economic power to persuade Denmark to hand it over.

Greenland's strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system, has made it a priority for Trump.

Brieger said he hoped that the U.S. as a member of the United Nations would respect the inviolability of borders as stipulated in the U.N. Charter.

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko extended his more than three decades in power in an orchestrated weekend election that the opposition and the European Union rejected as a farce.

The Central Election Commission declared early Monday that Lukashenko won the election with nearly 87% of the vote after a campaign in which four token challengers all praised his rule.

Members of the country's political opposition, many of whom are imprisoned or exiled abroad by Lukashenko's unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, called the election a sham — much like the last one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO HAILS RELEASE OF US PRISONER IN BELARUS AS CONTROVERSY HANGS OVER NATION'S ELECTION

Since then, more than 65,000 people were arrested and thousands beaten, with the crackdown bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.

The EU rejected Sunday's vote as illegitimate and threatened new sanctions.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the election offered no choice to voters, marking "a bitter day for all those who long for freedom and democracy."

"Instead of free and fair elections and a life without fear and arbitrariness, they experience daily oppression, repression and human rights violations," she said in a post on X.

Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and has ruled the country with an iron fist. He has relied on subsidies and political support from Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself in office for a quarter-century, a relationship that helped him survive the 2020 protests.

Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use the country’s territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and later hosted some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin called Lukashenko on Monday to congratulate him on his "convincing victory." Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent congratulations.

Some observers believe Lukashenko feared a repeat of those mass demonstrations amid economic troubles and the fighting in Ukraine, and so scheduled the vote in January, when few would want to fill the streets again, rather than hold it in August.

Leading opponents have fled abroad or were thrown in prison. Activists say the country holds nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people. At the same time, authorities have sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners.

Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus under government pressure after challenging Lukashenko in 2020, denounced the election as a "senseless farce" and urged voters to cross off everyone listed on the ballot.

Leaders across the globe reacted to Donald Trump’s return to the White House on Monday, offering general good wishes and extending geopolitical olive branches.

While President Trump set the tone in his inaugural address and declared he would "put America first," he also drew attention to specific areas like Mexico, Panama and China – sparking more questions over how new American policies under the 47th president of the United States could take shape.

Neither the China, Mexico nor Panama governments responded to Fox News Digital’s questions following the remarks issued by Trump during his inaugural address, including when he vowed to "take back" the Panama Canal, which the U.S. fully handed over to Panama in 1999.

"China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama," the president said.  "And we're taking it back."

Trump also vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and pledged to reinstate his "Remain in Mexico" policies.

CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN CLAIMS TRUMP FULFILLED 'PROMISE TO BE A DICTATOR ON DAY ONE' WITH EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Panama President José Raúl Mulino issued a statement rejecting Trump’s comments and said, "The Canal is and will continue to be Panama's and its administration will continue to be under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality."

"There is no presence of any nation in the world that interferes with our administration," he added, taking issue with Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. "gave" the canal to Panama.

"Dialogue is always the way to clarify the points mentioned without undermining our right, total sovereignty and ownership of our Canal.," Mulino said. 

Reports suggested that Mexico rejected Trump's plans to implement a "Remain in Mexico" policy and during a Monday morning conference, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexico's secretary for external relations, said, "If they reinstate it, this is something we don’t agree with. We have a different focus. We want to adjust it." 

"The desire is to keep the same policies as now," he added.

China does not appear to have commented publicly following Trump's inaugural address, which was attended by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on re-entering the White House and suggested he may be open to peace talks with Ukraine. 

"We see the statements by the newly elected President of the United States and members of his team about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia," Putin said, according to a Reuters translation.

"We also hear his statement about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War III," he added. "We of course welcome this attitude and congratulate the elected President of the United States of America on taking office."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy similarly issued his congratulations just ahead of the inauguration ceremony and said, "I congratulate President Trump and the American people on the inauguration of the 47th President of the United States. Today is a day of change and also a day of hope for the resolution of many problems, including global challenges.

"President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority," he added.

TRUMP ORDERS US WITHDRAWAL FROM WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte offered his "warm congratulations" and in a post on X said, "With President Trump back in office we will turbo-charge defense spending and production."

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also took to X and said the international body "looks forward to working closely with you to tackle global challenges."

"Together, our societies can achieve greater prosperity and strengthen their common security," she added. 

While many nations in Europe, including Norway, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom, congratulated Trump, with several leaders pronouncing that the U.S. is their closest ally, other nations in Europe were less willing to issue pronounced congratulations.

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a note of warning when giving a speech to the French military on Monday.

Macron said the Trump presidency was an "opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call" and highlighted scenarios that some have feared could affect European security, like a lessening of U.S. military presence in Europe if Washington opts to shift focus toward security concerns in Asia instead. 

Just one day into the long-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video message on X in which he congratulated Trump and said, "I believe that working together again we will raise the US-Israel alliance to even greater heights."

"The best days of our alliance are yet to come," he added. 

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri also commented on the inauguration of the 47th president, saying, "We are happy with the departure of Biden, who has the blood of Palestinians on his hand," reported Reuters.  

"We hope for the end of this dark era that harmed the U.S. before anyone and that Trump can build his policies on balanced foundations that can cut the road against Netanyahu's evils that want to drown the region and the world," he added. 

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that Greenland is not for sale, as President-elect Trump has ramped up calls for the U.S. to acquire the island.

Frederiksen's comments to a Danish TV station come as the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., paid a visit to Greenland on Tuesday. The trip is a personal one and Trump Jr. is not expected to meet with any government officials. 

The Danish prime minister said in an interview that Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede "has been very, very clear – that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either," according to The Hill.

DONALD TRUMP JR ARRIVES IN GREENLAND AS HIS FATHER SAYS DENMARK ‘GIVE IT UP’

She reportedly told Danish television station TV 2 that Greenland will choose its own future and said, "We need to stay calm and stick to our principles," while praising the U.S. as a key Danish ally. 

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said he was "hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA'." The Republican attached a video that purportedly shows a Greenlander asking the U.S. to buy his country.

TRUMP ESCALATES PLANS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND AFTER RESIDENT PLEADS: ‘DENMARK’S USING US'

Trump's son arrived Tuesday in Nuuk, the Arctic territory's capital. He met with locals, visited cultural sites and shot video for a podcast. The president-elect posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word "TRUMP" landing in Nuuk.

"Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland," Trump wrote. "The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" 

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Trump also spoke with locals over speakerphone in video that supporters shared online.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital on Monday that Trump Jr. is "popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting. He will not be meeting with any government officials or political figures."

Trump has previously flirted with the idea of buying the territory from Denmark, claiming it is of vital national security interest to the United States. 

At a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday afternoon, the president-elect again said, "Denmark should give it up." 

Iran’s nuclear program is nearing the "point of no return," French President Emmanuel Macron is now warning. 

Iran is the top "strategic and security challenge" for France and Europe this year, Macron said this week during an annual foreign policy conference with French ambassadors, according to Reuters. 

"The acceleration of the nuclear program leads us nearly to the point of no return," the French leader was quoted as saying. 

"In the coming months we will have to ask ourselves whether to use... the mechanism to restore sanctions," Macron added. 

BIDEN, JAKE SULLIVAN DISCUSSED POSSIBILITY OF HITTING IRAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM: REPORT 

The comments come after International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi told Reuters in December that Iran is enriching uranium close to the 90% level required for weapons grade. 

French, German and British diplomats are now set to meet their Iranian counterparts on Jan. 13 in an effort to defuse tensions, according to Reuters. 

Iran has argued that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. 

IRAN EXECUTES OVER 1,000 PRISONERS IN 2024, HIGHEST TOTAL IN 30 YEARS, REPORT SAYS 

Axios recently reported that in a top meeting with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan roughly a month ago, President Biden was presented with a series of strike options should Iran make a move to develop a nuclear weapon.

Biden has vowed not to let Iran develop a nuclear weapon on his watch, but it remains unclear what steps Iran would have to take in order for the Biden administration to respond with direct hits, given that Tehran has already been reported to have stockpiled near-weapons-grade uranium and to be bolstering its weaponization capabilities.

The president was reportedly presented with a series of scenarios and response options during the meeting, though sources told the outlet that Biden has not made any final decisions regarding the information he was given.  

Another source reportedly told Axios there currently are no active discussions on militarily hitting Iran’s program.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland on Tuesday as his father, President-elect Trump, made remarks that sparked speculation that the U.S. may seek to acquire the Danish territory.

Trump Jr. landed in Nuuk, the Arctic territory's capital, to meet with locals, visit cultural sites and shoot video for a podcast. The president-elect posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word "TRUMP" landing in Nuuk.

"Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland," Trump wrote. "The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!" 

Trump also spoke with locals over speakerphone in video that supporters shared online.

TRUMP ESCALATES PLANS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND AFTER RESIDENT PLEADS: ‘DENMARK’S USING US'

A source familiar told Fox News Digital on Monday that Trump Jr. is "popping in for a quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for podcasting. He will not be meeting with any government officials or political figures."

The trip comes as President-elect Trump seeks to buy the mineral-rich, geographically important territory. 

At a press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday afternoon, the president-elect again said that "Denmark should give it up." 

"We need Greenland for national security purposes," Trump said.

CANADA’S TRUDEAU ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION FOLLOWING PARTY PRESSURE AMID CRITICISMS OF TRUMP, BUDGET HANDLING 

American interest in Greenland dates back to the 1800s. 

But Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said last week that the country is not interested. 

"Greenland is ours," he said. "We are not for sale, and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom."

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A pregnant high school teacher plummeted to her death while on vacation on the island of Crete, according to Grecian news outlets. 

Clara Thomann, 33, was declared brain-dead after she plunged about 164 feet into a gorge near Preveli Monastery in the region of Rethymno on December 23, per the Greek Reporter. She suffered multiple fractures to her head and chest, and her unborn child died in the fall, according to local news service Nea Kriti.

The Santa Barbara science teacher, who taught at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, was pronounced dead on Dec. 29. 

GREECE TRAVEL GUIDE: FROM ATHENS TO THE ISLANDS

The woman's family decided to donate her organs, including her liver, kidney and corneas, according to a statement issued by Chania General Hospital.

"The injuries Clara sustained are insurmountable and she was declared brain-dead … we are all heartbroken," her family wrote in a post on Caring Bridge.

GREECE TO IMPOSE TAX FOR CRUISE VISITORS ON POPULAR ISLANDS TO COMBAT OVERTOURISM

"Clara loved helping and teaching others," her family wrote. "Naturally, she is an organ donor, and we are happy to report that her heart, liver and pancreas have already been accepted for donation."

Thomann had been traveling with her partner Elliott Finn, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

NEARLY 140 MIGRANTS HAVE REPORTEDLY ENTERED GREECE IN 24 HOURS

The principal of Dos Pueblos High School, Bill Woodard told Santa Barbara outlet Noozhawk that there were "no words to describe the sadness we are feeling."

"Ms. Thomann was so kind and such a great teacher who loved her students and loved science. Our hearts break for her family and for all of us who are feeling this loss," Woodard said.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Sunday announced that he would meet with far-right politician Herbert Kickl as speculation grows that he will ask the Freedom Party leader to form a government.

Van der Bellen made the announcement after meeting with Chancellor Karl Nehammer and others at his presidential palace. Nehammer has announced his intention to resign after coalition talks between his conservative Austrian People's Party and the center-left Social Democrats collapsed over the budget.

Nehammer has ruled out working with Kickl, but others within his party are less adamant. Earlier Sunday, the People's Party nominated its general secretary, Christian Stocker, as interim leader, but the president said Nehammer would remain chancellor for now.

Van der Bellen said that he had spent several hours talking to key officials, after which he got the impression that "the voices within the People's Party who exclude working with the Freedom Party under its leader Herbert Kickl have become quieter."

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

The president said that this development has "potentially opened a new path," which has prompted him to invite Kickl for a meeting on Monday morning.

Kickl's Freedom Party topped the polls in the autumn's national election with 29.2% of the vote, but Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer with putting together a new government because no other party was willing to work with Kickl.

That decision drew heavy criticism from the Freedom Party and its supporters, with Kickl saying in October that it was "not right and not logical" that he did not get a mandate to form a government.

"We are not responsible for the wasted time, the chaotic situation and the enormous breach of trust that has emerged," Kickl said Sunday afternoon on social media. "On the contrary: It is clear that the Freedom Party has been and continues to be the only stable factor in Austrian politics."

Stocker addressed reporters on Sunday afternoon and confirmed that he had been appointed "unanimously" by his party to serve as interim leader. "I am very honored and happy," he said.

He also welcomed the decision by the president to meet with Kickl and said that he now expects that the leader of the party that emerged as the clear winner from the last election would be tasked with forming a government.

"If we are invited to negotiations to form a government, we will accept this invitation," Stocker added.

In the past, Stocker has criticized Kickl, calling him a "security risk" for the country.

In its election program titled "Fortress Austria," the Freedom Party calls for "remigration of uninvited foreigners," for achieving a more "homogeneous" nation by tightly controlling borders and suspending the right to asylum via an emergency law.

The Freedom Party also calls for an end to sanctions against Russia, is highly critical of Western military aid to Ukraine and wants to bow out of the European Sky Shield Initiative, a missile defense project launched by Germany. The Freedom Party has also signed a friendship agreement in 2016 with Putin’s United Russia Party that it now claims has expired.

Kickl has criticized "elites" in Brussels and called for some powers to be brought back from the European Union to Austria.

Austria was thrown into political turmoil on Friday after the liberal party Neos pulled out of coalition talks with the the People's Party and the Social Democrats. On Saturday the two remaining parties, who have only a one-seat majority in Parliament, made another attempt to form a government — but that also ended in failure after a few hours, with negotiators saying they were unable to agree on how to repair the budget deficit.

Something beautiful happened late last year. As 2024 wound down, the world celebrated the rebuilding of glorious Notre Dame de Paris, which a mere five and a half years before was engulfed in horrifying flames. At the reopening ceremony in Paris, her bells rang for the first time since the fire.

The pleasing peal called to my mind a poem that raises up something no less beautiful than the French Gothic monument: her builders. This memory in turn led to an epiphany, which is fitting as the Epiphany, or Christian celebration of the revelation of God as human in Jesus Christ, fast approaches. 

"Cathedral Builders," written by Welsh poet John Ormond and published in the journal "Poetry Wales" in 1965, lyrically reminds us of a very simple truth with profound consequences. It is often ordinary people who create the most extraordinary beauty, particularly when the undertaking is grand in scope. 

NOTRE DAME HOSTS FIRST MASS SINCE 2019 FIRE, DRAWING CROWDS BY THE THOUSANDS

Ormond exalts the sanctifying work of countless craftsmen whose identities are known only to history, but whose toil built the great cathedrals of medieval Europe. Most of them knew they wouldn’t live to see the final fruits of their massive multi-generational endeavor. They climbed their ladders anyway.

With soaring yet simple language befitting the ethereal work of earthy men, Ormond lionizes unheralded laborers who "hoisted hewn rock into heaven" by day and then "came down to their suppers and small beer" in the evening. So understood, a cathedral is no more sublime than her humblest builder. Each is an icon to the other.

TRUMP, JILL BIDEN ATTEND NOTRE DAME REOPENING IN FRANCE WITH WORLD LEADERS

I thought of "Cathedral Builders" as I reflected upon the 2,000 or so workers it took to rebuild Notre Dame within French President Emmanuel Macron’s ambitious five-year deadline. Unlike their medieval counterparts, the vast majority of these artisans lived to see their loving mission completed. 

Yet like these ancestors, they created lasting beauty by pledging their lives to something outside of and greater than themselves. Amidst still-burning embers in 2019, life imitated art when these cathedral builders once again chose to make art of their lives. Notre Dame is their masterpiece.

That choice, I believe, is exactly of the ennobling kind of second-century theologian St. Irenaeus had in mind when he said "the glory of God is man fully alive." Aesthetic achievement aside, is there a lesson for the rest of us, those who lack the talent to make clerestories soar? I think so.    

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Most of us aren’t called to build cathedrals of stone, but all are called to build cathedrals of our lives. Some acts will be soaring – the spire atop the cathedral – for instance, a soldier sacrificing his life in combat to save his brother-in-arms. Other acts will be simple – the mortar on a lowly footpath appearing like a smile to a passing stranger on the street.

But great and small, all are acts of love, of willing the good of the other and stone by figurative stone, they surely will build a cathedral over one’s lifetime. It may not be tangible or visible to man like Notre Dame de Paris, but it is no less real, and no less lovely. Besides, invisible to man is not invisible. 

Therein lies the beauty of "Cathedral Builders," and what is most inspirational about Notre Dame’s exemplary builders. By reminding a weary world to see both the small in the great and the great in the small, they provide a blueprint for not only a cathedral well-made, but something far more important: a life well-lived.

That is my epiphany as the Epiphany approaches. I am grateful for poet John Ormond, for the valiant laborers of Notre Dame de Paris and all who strive to build cathedrals of their lives. They remind us that there is beauty in both the soaring and the simple.

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German government officials accused Tesla founder Elon Musk on Monday of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the country's far-right political party, citing recent social media posts and a weekend op-ed doubling down on his endorsement.

Musk has attempted to bill the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party as the party best positioned to usher in a fiscally responsible economy in Germany—praising the party's approach to regulations and taxes, while also strenuously defending against allegations of radicalism and neo-Nazi ties.  

His comments have sparked the ire of top German government officials, who noted Monday that the timing comes just weeks ahead of Germany's snap parliamentary elections—and are, in their view, clearly intended to influence a German audience, regardless of whether Musk's messaging accomplishes that goal. 

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS WILLING TO IMPROVE TIES—BUT ONUS IS ON TRUMP TO MAKE FIRST MOVE

"It is indeed the case that Elon Musk is trying to influence the federal election," German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann told reporters at a press briefing Monday. 

Hoffmann said that Musk is free to express his opinion, adding: "After all, freedom of opinion also covers the greatest nonsense."

Musk has come under sharp criticism for his apparent endorsement for the Alternative for Germany political party just weeks before it holds snap parliamentary elections in February.

Musk has railed against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this fall as a "fool." 

Musk also praised the AfD last week on his social media platform, X, writing: "Only the AfD can save Germany."

Musk doubled down on his endorsement in an op-ed published in the German center-right newspaper, Welt am Sonntag.

"The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!" Musk said of AfD co-chair Alice Weidel.

He added that in his view, the AfD "can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality."

Those remarks have sparked criticism from current and former U.S. lawmakers, and from leaders in Berlin, who noted the party’s reputation as a neo-Nazi group. 

Hoffman, the German government spokesperson, said Monday that Musk’s endorsement of the AfD was "a recommendation to vote for a party that is being monitored [by domestic intelligence] on suspicion of being right-wing extremist," and "which has already been recognized as partly right-wing extremist." 

German health minister Karl Lauterbach, also a member of the Social Democratic party (SPD), criticized Musk’s intervention as "undignified and highly problematic."

TRUMP URGED TO STEP IN TO UNITE GOP AS LAWMAKERS FEAR SPEAKER SHOWDOWN COULD DELAY ELECTION CERTIFICATION

All mainstream German political parties have ruled out working with the AfD, and its youth wing was designated as a "confirmed extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency earlier this year. 

The AfD, for its part, has rejected that characterization.

The pushback from U.S. and German officials has done little to deter Musk, who used his op-ed to argue that the German economy is crippled by regulatory overreach and bureaucracy, describing the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "the last spark of hope for this country."

"The traditional parties have failed in Germany," Musk wrote in the op-ed of Germany's SPD and other mainstream parties. "Their policies have led to economic stagnation, social unrest, and the erosion of national identity."

The decision to run Musks's op-ed in a center-right newspaper was heavily criticized and prompted Welt am Sonntag's opinion editor, Eva Marie Kogel, to announce her resignation. 

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of executing an "absurd" cover-up after its air defenses allegedly "shot down" a passenger plane last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized for the "tragic incident" this weekend, but the Kremlin has not formally stated that Russian air defenses shot down the plane. At least 38 people were killed in the incident.

"Our plane was shot down by accident," Aliyev told state television on Sunday. "Unfortunately, in the first three days we heard only absurd versions from Russia."

"We witnessed clear attempts to cover up the matter," he added.

AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES BLAMES DEADLY PLANE CRASH ON 'EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE' AS RUSSIA SPECULATION GROWS

A Kremlin statement said the incident occurred after Russian air defenses engaged with Ukrainian attack drones, but did not outright state that Russian forces had shot down the plane.

IT'S ‘VERY UNCLEAR’ WHAT HAPPENED IN AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES CRASH, EX-STATE DEPT OFFICIAL SAYS

Aliyev is a close ally with Putin's regime, and the pair held a phone call regarding the incident on Sunday. Neither party has released details of their conversation.

 Crew members and survivors of the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190-passenger jet say they heard at least one loud bang before the aircraft crashed on Christmas day.

AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES BLAMES DEADLY PLANE CRASH ON 'EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE' AS RUSSIA SPECULATION GROWS

Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers aboard Flight J2-8243, told Reuters from the hospital that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing a bang.

"After the bang... I thought the plane was going to fall apart," Rakhimov told the outlet. "It was obvious that the plane had been damaged in some way. It was as if it was drunk - not the same plane anymore."

Surviving passenger Vafa Shabanova said that there were "two explosions in the sky, and an hour and a half later the plane crashed to the ground."

Reuters contributed to this report. 

When several Americans planned to travel abroad for relaxing vacations, their dream vacations quickly turned to real-life nightmares and terror. 

Here are some of the crimes against American tourists that happened during 2024.  

An American woman died in the crossfire of an apparent drug deal gone bad at a popular Mexican beach resort in the municipality of Tulum. 

The victim was 44-year-old Los Angeles native Niko Honarbakhsh.

CALIFORNIA WOMAN SHOT DEAD IN MEXICAN RESORT TOWN POPULAR WITH AMERICANS

Prosecutors maintain that Honarbakhsh died as a result of a stray bullet.

Other tourists in recent years have died in gang-related crossfire in Tulum, including a California travel blogger and a German, who were killed in 2021 while eating in a restaurant after rival drug dealers started shooting each other. 

Last year, the U.S. issued "Do Not Travel" warnings for parts of Mexico ahead of the popular March spring break travel period, citing gang violence and noting that U.S. citizens have "become seriously ill or died in Mexico after using synthetic drugs or adulterated prescription pills." 

In November, an Oregon nurse was found dead during her vacation in Hungary after she disappeared from a nightclub.

Budapest police said 31-year-old Mackenzie Michalski, a nurse practitioner from Portland, was killed by a man she met.

Michalski's friends alerted authorities after she missed her departing flight and her belongings were left in her Airbnb. 

OREGON NURSE MURDERED WHILE ON EUROPEAN VACATION BY SUSPECT SHE MET AT NIGHTCLUB: POLICE

Authorities were able to track down surrounding security footage and identified a male suspect who was last seen with Michalski.

Police later detained an Irish citizen in connection to Michalski's disappearance, who admitted he met her at a local nightclub and danced before leaving together for his apartment. 

Police said that the pair had "gotten intimate, and he killed her in the process."

Authorities said that after the murder, the suspect cleaned his apartment, placed her body in a wardrobe cabinet and went out to purchase a suitcase. He allegedly placed Michalski's body in the suitcase, rented a car and drove it to Lake Balaton, approximately an hour and a half drive from Budapest.

Police said he hid Michalski's body in the woods before driving back to Budapest, where he was arrested outside his apartment.

Authorities, who have not released the suspect's name, said he confessed to killing Michalski but claimed it was an accident.

Last week, the bodies of two Americans from California were found  after being found shot to death in a pickup truck in Mexico, according to officials.

Authorities located Gloria Ambriz, 50, and Rafael Cardona, 53, while responding to a report of a shooting in Angamacutiro in the western state of Michoacán on Wednesday night, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles, citing the state attorney general's office.

AMERICAN COUPLE KILLED IN MEXICO, FOUND SHOT IN PICKUP TRUCK: OFFICIALS

The couple, who were on vacation visiting family, was traveling in a black 2016 Ford Platinum pickup truck when gunmen opened fire near an intersection.

Ambriz was pronounced dead on the scene, and Cardona succumbed to his injuries shortly after being taken to a hospital in Puruándiro, officials said.

The Michoacán State Attorney General's Office has put together a team of prosecutors, police and forensic experts to determine the motive and identify those responsible for the killings.

Michoacán is listed as a "do not travel" spot in Mexico, according to the U.S. State Department.

In May, Mexican authorities confirmed two Australians and an American were killed on a surfing trip because thieves wanted the tires from their truck.

The three men, brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad, were on a camping and surfing trip along a stretch of coast south of the city of Ensenada when they disappeared.

All three bodies were later found with gunshot wounds to the head, Reuters reported, citing a source from the attorney general's office.

Chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez theorized that the killers drove by and saw the foreigners' pickup truck and tents and wanted to steal their tires. But "when [the foreigners] came up and caught them, surely, they resisted."

TRIPLE MURDER SUSPECT IN MEXICO SURFER DEATHS ALLEGEDLY CONFESSED TO GIRLFRIEND HE KILLED '3 GRINGOS': REPORT

Ramírez said the thieves allegedly went to what she called "a site that is extremely hard to get to" and allegedly dumped the bodies into a familiar well. 

One of the suspects believed to be connected to the murders allegedly admitted to his girlfriend that he killed all three, Ramírez said.

The BBC reported that Ari Gisel, the girlfriend of suspected killer Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, said he showed up at her house on April 28 and told her he did something to "three gringos."

After admitting to the crime, Garcia Cota reportedly took Gisel outside to show her his vehicle, which reportedly had the tires on it that were allegedly stolen from the victims' truck, Gisel explained in court. 

During a tribute, the Robinsons' mother, Debra Robinson, said, "Our hearts are broken, and the world has become a darker place for us. They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together," the Associated Press reported.

A dream vacation turned into a nearly fatal nightmare after two Oklahoma State University students were allegedly poisoned after ordering water from a poolside bar at a Cancun resort.  

Photos shared by Zara Hull and her family show the moment Hull and Kaylie Pitze say they became unconscious after drinking the tainted water on Aug. 1. 

Hull and a group of friends were in Cancun for a four-day trip that was quickly cut short.

Stephanie Snider, whose son, Jake, is Hull's boyfriend, said in a series of Facebook posts that Hull and Pitze were slipped a drug while they were at the resort in Cancun.

"What started out as a fun vacation with friends for them ended up as our worst nightmare," Snider wrote.

OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY THEY WERE DRUGGED AT CANCUN RESORT POOL BAR IN VACATION NIGHTMARE

After leaving the pool, Jake explained that Pitze was taken back to their room in a wheelchair, while he carried Hull. Hull began throwing up and having what he thought was a seizure. 

"Zara started having what the resort doctor called a ‘seizure’ and said she needed to be taken to the hospital. Once she was there, the hospital demanded $10K just to look at her to help her and start treating her. The money was sent. By the next morning, we were told more money was needed to continue treatment," Snider said.

Snider said Pitze did not end up in the hospital but struggled the following day after the incident.

"Neither of the girls have any memory of what happened after they took that last drink, which happened to have been a glass of WATER. We think it was whatever was put in that glass of water that did it. Both girls collapsed at the very SAME time. They both are battling feelings of not knowing what happened and ‘why them?’" Snider said. 

Nearly 27 hours later and after spending thousands of dollars, Hull's family was able to negotiate with the U.S. Embassy and have her flown to Dallas to continue medical treatment. 

Snider said she hopes this is a warning for others traveling to resorts like this.

"They did exactly like we told them. Don't leave the resort. You have no reason to leave that resort. You stay there," said Snider.

"Like people say, 'Don't leave the resort, and you'll be fine.' It started at the resort. The resort was not safe," Hull said. "They say the resort is the safest place; don’t leave it. That’s not true."

Snider said the name of the resort or hospital is not being released at this time due to legal and privacy issues. 

In November, a 60-year-old American tourist was found "beaten to death" at a lavish five-star hotel in Ireland, police said.

According to a release from Ireland’s national police and security service, Garda Síochána, an unidentified American citizen was found unconscious in his hotel room at Ballyfin Demesne, a luxurious hotel in Laois, Ireland.

The victim was later pronounced dead by police.

AMERICAN TOURIST, 60, FOUND 'BEATEN TO DEATH' AT 5-STAR HOTEL IN IRELAND FREQUENTED BY CELEBRITIES

Police in Ireland arrested and detained a 30-year-old man in the assault.

The suspect and victim traveled together, the Irish Times reported. The outlet noted that the suspect is also an American.

The Ballyfin Demesne is a five-star hotel in Ireland that has hosted celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, who stayed there for their honeymoon in 2014. 

Actor George Clooney and his wife, Amal, have also stayed there.

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Local independent councilor James Kelly told local outlet RTE that nearby communities were "shocked" to hear about the incident at the distinguished hotel.

"There would be a lot of staff from the area, and they're totally shocked by what has happened here," he said. "It's something we didn't think we'd be waking up to this morning."

Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Peter Aitken and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

As NATO member states struggle to meet their defense spending goals and war rages on Europe's eastern front, officials are struggling to agree on a plan to shore up hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster defenses. 

Eight NATO countries did not meet their 2% target for defense spending in 2024. And as many member states struggle with chronically stressed budgets, calls to meet those goals are not being heeded quickly. 

The European Commission estimates about 500 billion euros, the equivalent of $524 billion in investments, are needed in the coming decade to defend Europe against evolving threats. 

NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING 'PROBABLY HISTORY' AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET

The EU's budget cannot be used to fund defense directly, and some European officials and NATO experts are proposing a global defense bank to dole out funds for military modernization. 

A defense, security and resilience (DSR) bank would issue bonds backed by AAA ratings for financially strapped countries to upgrade their defenses and would provide guarantees for commercial banks to offer credit to defense suppliers. 

"This is not a substitute to raising defense spending in each of these countries. I think it should be a supplemental tool," Giedrimas Jeglinskas, chairman of the national security committee in the Lithuanian parliament and a former NATO official, told Fox News Digital. 

His remarks echo those of incoming President Trump, who has long threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO due to the number of nations missing the mark on the 2% goal for defense spending. 

"I think we have to look at it also as an opportunity for the U.S. as well," Jeglinskas added. "I understand the skepticism by Donald Trump of the World Bank and then the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and IFC [International Finance Corporation] and other institutions. I think there's been a lot of capital deployed and a lot of investments that these banks or institutions do. The real impact is, at best, questionable. So, I think we have to have very clear KPIs [key performance indicators]. We need to build defense." 

The United States' $824 billion defense budget in 2023 equaled half of total defense spending by all NATO member states combined at $1.47 trillion.

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA READY TO COMPROMISE WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE WAR

The return of Trump to the White House, coupled with a U.S. push to refocus on China, has left Europeans wondering whether the U.S. will have less of an appetite to defend Europe in years to come. 

More EU defense chiefs and foreign ministers have pitched the idea of issuing joint debt through bonds to finance military projects. 

But some countries like Germany have voiced concerns about maintaining their own sovereignty and a disproportionate financial burden on some countries. 

The DSR bank idea is explained at length in a new Atlantic Council report by defense fellow Rob Murray.

"For allies across both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, the bank could go beyond offering low-interest loans for defense modernization to facilitating equipment leasing, currency hedging, and supporting critical infrastructure and rebuilding efforts in conflict zones like Ukraine," Murray wrote. 

"An additional critical function of the DSR bank would be to underwrite the risk for commercial banks, enabling them to extend financing to defense companies across the supply chain."

The goal would be to offer financing to small and medium-sized defense companies that often struggle with access to funds. 

"By providing loans with extended maturities, the bank would offer predictable and sustainable funding for defence modernisation. Its governance structures would align funding with collective security goals, such as upgrading arsenals and investing in emerging technologies," Jeglinskas wrote in a recent op-ed for the Financial Times.

Asked how the DSR bank would get countries to agree on defense funding priorities, Jeglinskas likened the idea to the U.K.-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a military alliance that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Jeglinskas noted the 33 trillion euros in European assets under management across the continent. 

"There's really no political will, no risk appetite to move them anywhere besides the kind of bond markets where they rest now," he said. "But several nations need to build that initial capital, and then, by using the sovereign rating to get to hopefully AAA in capital markets, raise that money from bond markets and to start funding defense programs."

The European Investment Bank has doled out long-term loans and guarantees to European nations' projects that align with EU policy goals. 

"But even they are struggling with kind of shifting their mandate towards more dual-use technologies is still not allowed in their funding package," said Jeglinskas. 

"Of course, every other bank in Europe is looking at EIB for their signals. That signaling hasn't been there yet. So, that's the point. We need to create some sort of mechanism, and that kind of global defense bank would be one of the tools that we could use to rally the capital and really direct it toward defense. So, it's really creating another multilateral lending institution."

President-elect Donald Trump is threatening tariffs against a bloc of countries when he assumes office as part of his anticipated effort to reinforce oil and gas production in the U.S.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, said that he told the European Union that if it doesn't begin to import more U.S. oil and gas, it will be faced with tariffs under his upcoming presidency.

"I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large scale purchase of our oil and gas," Trump wrote. "Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!"

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump vowed to restore energy dominance by bolstering the production of American-made oil and natural gas. Specifically, Trump has revealed that he plans to expand fracking and lift President Joe Biden's pause on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits. 

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Trump's latest tariff threat comes amid a number of warnings against several countries, including China, Mexico, and Canada, if they don't act to secure the border and stop drug trafficking.

MAJORITY OF AMERICANS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TRUMP AGENDA, POLL FINDS, DESPITE TARIFF CONCERN

Trump said he would impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican exports, unless the countries work to stop the flow of illegal immigration and illicit drugs coming into the U.S.

After Trump's proposed tariff against Canada, Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut off energy and critical mineral exports to the U.S. if the incoming president implements such a tariff on all Canadian products. However, Trump was unfazed by the threat, saying, "That's okay if he does that."

Trump has reportedly engaged in "very productive" conversations with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since threatening a new tax.

The PM traveled to Mar-a-Lago to meet with the incoming president, where Trudeau reportedly told Trump he couldn't levy the tariff, because it would kill the Canadian economy completely, Fox News previously reported.

Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, which, according to sources, reportedly caused the prime minister and others to laugh nervously.

Fox News' Bret Baier and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.